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Luckily, my OEM steering wheel is in pretty good condition with no fading / cracks ..
You guys know me .. if a deal pops up I can't help myself
Hey, if a deal pops up then go for it but I still couldn't bring myself to pay that kind of cash for a steering wheel that doesn't give me any tangible upgrade. To each their own though...
Hey, if a deal pops up then go for it but I still couldn't bring myself to pay that kind of cash for a steering wheel that doesn't give me any tangible upgrade. To each their own though...
I'd imagine a smaller diameter wheel would wake up the steering feel a bit ... which, the B5 needs desperately.
Slowest / numbest on center steering I've ever felt in a car of this size ...
Yup - alcantara inserts surrounded by black leather.
Once the seats / interior goes in, aluminum trim will follow and it'll be a "complete" sports package car.
As far as B5 S4 values go, sports package is the way to go .. plus they pull at least 1-2k higher than a traditional leather interior car.
Get an alcantara brush and find a good detailer who can help you keep them looking new for years. Alcantara can be a B I T C H to take care of on surfaces that get lots of wear (steering wheels for example).
Originally Posted by rockstar143
if you can't tell the blue is alcantara I'm starting a gofundme for a new monitor for you
Originally Posted by TylerT
I'd imagine a smaller diameter wheel would wake up the steering feel a bit ... which, the B5 needs desperately.
Slowest / numbest on center steering I've ever felt in a car of this size ...
WHAAAAAA? Please pass what you are smoking, it's gotta be some strong stuff
Originally Posted by SamDoe1
I don't think a smaller wheel is going to change the on center feel. Would just change how far you need to rotate it to get a specific response.
You'll need to do some alignment changes and maybe invest in new bushings/arms/tires/rubber bits to get a better feel. Solid spherical bushings and other alternatives to improve the handling and feel of the car.
If you get an alcantara steering wheel, highly recommend blue driving gloves so the oils from your hands don't ruin the alcantara faster.
Get an alcantara brush and find a good detailer who can help you keep them looking new for years. Alcantara can be a B I T C H to take care of on surfaces that get lots of wear (steering wheels for example).
WHAAAAAA? Please pass what you are smoking, it's gotta be some strong stuff
You'll need to do some alignment changes and maybe invest in new bushings/arms/tires/rubber bits to get a better feel. Solid spherical bushings and other alternatives to improve the handling and feel of the car.
If you get an alcantara steering wheel, highly recommend blue driving gloves so the oils from your hands don't ruin the alcantara faster.
Thanks for the tips on the alcantara cleaning. One thing about having all black leather is, I don't have to do a great job of cleaning myself up to hop in the car to start it / drive it around ...
I'm sure with these seats I'm going to be extra anal
With the steering wheel in mind - I recognize that a smaller wheel will not reduce the amount of turns until it's full lock, although a smaller diameter wheel would increase resistance and require less motion that hands have to travel to generate the given angle change.
I'm all for improving the steering feel hence why I've replaced every front arm, tie rod, sway bar end links, with an alignment to do so.
I don't know if you've ever driven a B5 S4 before, but any "boost" to the sensitivity / resistance would be a good thing. The rack is very slow with little to no "feel" at all.
Yeah, you're not going to be able to fix that without it looking like ass. The shop might be able to just replace that panel on the seat cover with a new one and you'll be back in business. Might look a little (or a lot) newer but that panel would break in the fastest of any.
I don't know if you've ever driven a B5 S4 before, but any "boost" to the sensitivity / resistance would be a good thing. The rack is very slow with little to no "feel" at all.
I've only ever ridden in a B5 S4 (I'll give you one guess as to which one lol) but the rack being slow isn't going to be solved by a smaller wheel. The amount of force changes you're talking about isn't going to give you any more feel for what the car is doing aside from making the steering a bit more heavy.
For example, the steering in my Jeep is heavy AF but I have no idea what the wheels are doing.
Also, I've been in enough situations where they're turning but I'm not moving...and certainly been in situations where I'm moving but they're not turning.
I've only ever ridden in a B5 S4 (I'll give you one guess as to which one lol) but the rack being slow isn't going to be solved by a smaller wheel. The amount of force changes you're talking about isn't going to give you any more feel for what the car is doing aside from making the steering a bit more heavy.
For example, the steering in my Jeep is heavy AF but I have no idea what the wheels are doing.
Gotcha, thanks for the explanation ..
With that being said, one of these days you need to take a ride in it (before it blows up) ... it's gotten at least 175 more whp than it did when it was on stock turbos .
Tell me about numb steering wheel feel. I went from a MazdaSpeed6 with awesome steering feel to a Dodge Charger. It reminds me of when my grandpa would let me steer his boat when I was a kid.
Keep us posted on the seat fix. I have a few areas on my drivers seat that are bad. I've been considering a full seat cover replacement but if you patch yours and it looks good I may go in that direction instead
With that being said, one of these days you need to take a ride in it (before it blows up) ... it's gotten at least 175 more whp than it did when it was on stock turbos .
I know... Unfortunately I changed jobs so my frequent trips to SD/TJ are no more. Next time I go it would have to be for a vacation trip.
Tell me about numb steering wheel feel. I went from a MazdaSpeed6 with awesome steering feel to a Dodge Charger. It reminds me of when my grandpa would let me steer his boat when I was a kid.
Keep us posted on the seat fix. I have a few areas on my drivers seat that are bad. I've been considering a full seat cover replacement but if you patch yours and it looks good I may go in that direction instead
Will do!
Honestly, it's a small complaint .. the B5 S4 was never designed to change directions quickly anyways
In retrospect, if I wanted steering feel .. I'll just hop in the S2000
I actually have the wife on board with a fun weekend car, and thankfully it wouldn't take anything out the college funds, but I still need to figure out if I can fit in one!
Interior swap is quite a project ... I hope to have it complete in the next month or two.
First order of business is getting the alcantara cleaned .. they were filthy.
Dawn disk soap, soft bristle brush, and hot water.
Before:
After:
Outstanding tasks:
- Clean doorcard alcantara
- Reupholster driverseat bolster (depending on pricing, I may have them do a few more sections on the driver / passenger seat).
- Swap black door pulls from existing door cards
- Pickup Project B5 RS4 replica door handles
- Install aluminum trim / remove wooden trim.
Slowly but surely ... can't wait till it's complete!
With the BMW being gone .. I am driving the B5 a lot more
And yeah, man...what happened to the seats before? The guy sit on them buck naked and sweat on them?
Keep up with the updates!
Thanks Yummy
It took all of 30 minutes to clean both seats .. I don't understand people
Originally Posted by thoiboi
Those seats look like they were pulled right out of the recycle bin! Excited to see what it all looks like when you're done.
my vote is gloss black trim, it will tie it all in perfectly
I was thinking gloss black trim originally but, after seeing pictures ... I don't think it has the pop of the brighter aluminum trim.
Haven't made a decision yet ...
Originally Posted by rockstar143
brushed aluminum vote here but mostly to be contrary to Johnny
Originally Posted by Aman
Looks like some good progress
Driving naked is underrated.
100%.
Originally Posted by SamDoe1
I'd do fake (or real) CF trim over either of those options. Or leather wrap the trim in something cool.
I was close to purchasing a blue carbon weave interior trim set .. but go figure, it was for a RHD ... glad I didn't send payment and the seller figured it out before I did .
I did vinyl CF wrap on my driverside wood grain and while it doesn't look bad .... I don't know man .. I just can't get into something that's fake looking.
Hell, even my roof bugs me .
I think I'll be OEM+ for life with the "looks" of a car ... the aluminum trim makes the most sense with that mindset.
I was close to purchasing a blue carbon weave interior trim set .. but go figure, it was for a RHD ... glad I didn't send payment and the seller figured it out before I did .
I did vinyl CF wrap on my driverside wood grain and while it doesn't look bad .... I don't know man .. I just can't get into something that's fake looking.
Hell, even my roof bugs me .
I think I'll be OEM+ for life with the "looks" of a car ... the aluminum trim makes the most sense with that mindset.
Get it wrapped in real CF then. It's essentially a "wrap" but instead of vinyl it's just a single layer of carbon fabric finished with lacquer top coat. It has all the appearance value of a CF part with none of the weight savings! I had thought about trying to get into doing this for some parts but it's pretty messy and expensive to start off so I abandoned it. There are shops that do it though.
Honestly, the aluminum trim would look great. If you have a line on it then do it, it would be way cheaper than a CF part. What does the RS4 door panel look like compared to what you have now?
Alcantara is composed of about 68% polyester and 32% polyurethane, giving increased durability and stain resistance. The appearance and tactile feel of the material is similar to that of suede, and it may be erroneously identified as such.
Alcantara is composed of about 68% polyester and 32% polyurethane, giving increased durability and stain resistance. The appearance and tactile feel of the material is similar to that of suede, and it may be erroneously identified as such.
01-20-2021, 12:00 PM
You'll need to do some alignment changes and maybe invest in new bushings/arms/tires/rubber bits to get a better feel. Solid spherical bushings and other alternatives to improve the handling and feel of the car.
.
I wish I had that option.
to gloss black.
